TY - JOUR A1 - Gonzalez-Salazar, Miguel A1 - Malcher, Xenia T1 - Strategies for decarbonizing European district heating BT - Evaluation of their effectiveness in Sweden, France, Germany, and Poland JF - Energy N2 - Decarbonizing the EU’s district heating is crucial for meeting climate goals and securing a sustainable energy future. Currently, district heating suffers from inefficiency, high operating temperatures, significant distribution losses, and reliance on fossil fuels. Literature highlights strategies for reducing emissions, including integrating low-carbon heat sources, lowering supply temperatures, and employing efficient technologies like heat pumps and combined heat and power (CHP). However, the individual effectiveness of these strategies in reducing emissions within existing networks remains unassessed. This study addresses the gap by applying a comprehensive model that evaluates energy and emissions across the district heating supply chain, coupled with a derivative-based sensitivity analysis. We apply this methodology to the national-level district heating systems of Sweden, France, Germany, and Poland. Results indicate that the impact of decarbonization strategies on district heating emissions varies significantly by the system’s characteristics, i.e., the energy mix in power and district heating supply and the presence of CHP plants. Primarily, incorporating more low-carbon heat sources emerges as the most effective method for emission reduction across nearly all examined countries. A 1 % increase in the share of low-carbon heat sources can potentially cut emissions by 0.8–1.3 kg CO2e per GJ of heat. In countries like Sweden and France, where the power generation already relies heavily on low-carbon resources, technologies which convert electricity to heat—such as heat pumps and electric boilers—rank as the second most effective approach. In contrast, for countries like Germany and Poland, with their moderate to low use of low-carbon power, reducing distribution losses and decreasing heat demand prove more effective, with emission reductions ranging between 0.8-1.3 and 0.7–1.2 kg CO2e per GJ in these countries, respectively. Additionally, cutting down power generation in fossil fuel-based CHP plants significantly reduces emissions in these regions. While green hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS) also contribute to emission reductions, a 1 % increase in green hydrogen’s share might decrease emissions by just 0.3–0.5 kg CO2e per GJ of heat, highlighting their lower effectiveness compared to the aforementioned strategies. These insights hold value for both district heating operators and for technology suppliers seeking decarbonization pathways. This is also true for policy- makers focused on climate change mitigation, guiding the distribution of subsidies and R&D investments. Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:863-opus-57558 VL - 306 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Malcher, Xenia A1 - Tenorio-Rodriguez, Francis Catherine A1 - Finkbeiner, Matthias A1 - Gonzalez-Salazar, Miguel T1 - Decarbonization of district heating: A systematic review of carbon footprint and key mitigation strategies JF - Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2025.115602 SN - 1364-0321 VL - 215 PB - Elsevier BV ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schicktanz, Matthias A1 - Moquete, Dorothea A1 - Gonzalez-Salazar, Miguel ED - ECOS International Society, T1 - Designing a Fully Renewable Urban Energy System: The Meaning of Sector Coupling and Hydrogen T2 - Proceedings of the 38th International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimization, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems (ECOS 2025), 2025, Paris N2 - This study is the first in a two-part series focused on establishing a fully renewable and energy-autonomous supply system for a small city. Part 1 explores comprehensive energy modelling, while Part 2 introduces an innovative graphical representation that clarifies the operational management strategies of the city's energy hub. In this initial part, we conduct an exhaustive analysis of the city's energy needs across all sectors, including residential and commercial electricity demand, heating, and mobility, which provides an almost complete depiction of the urban energy landscape. The city is divided into two clusters: Cluster 1 features decentralized heating primarily through air-to-water heat pumps for low density residential buildings, while Cluster 2 employs a district heating grid for multi-family-buildings. Our analysis indicates that approximately 9 kW of wind and solar power capacity per inhabitant is necessary to entirely meet energy demands through renewable resources, with wind power contributing the majority. Hydrogen storage plays a crucial role in mitigating seasonal energy fluctuations by leveraging existing capacities within Germany. The study finds that utilizing waste heat from hydrogen production in district heating networks is more efficient, highlighting the advantages of smaller, community-scale hydrogen power plants over larger facilities that lack thermal integration. Furthermore, the study concludes that additional battery and thermal storages are unnecessary when hydrogen storage is implemented. An investment of 11.5 k€ per capita in energy converter facilities is required. KW - self sufficient city KW - renewable energiy systems KW - hydrogen KW - sector coupling KW - urban energy modeling Y1 - 2025 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schicktanz, Matthias A1 - Moquete, Dorothea A1 - Gonzalez-Salazar, Miguel ED - ECOS International Society, T1 - A Methodological Approach to Analyze Operation Strategies in a 100% Renewable Energy System with Multiple Energy Outputs in an Urban Environment T2 - Proceedings of the 38th International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimization, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems (ECOS 2025), 2025, Paris N2 - This study presents a method and graphical representation for optimizing the operational strategy of urban energy systems to simultaneously meet electricity and heat demands. Building on Part 1, "Designing a Fully Renewable Urban Energy System: The Meaning of Sector Coupling and Hydrogen," this paper addresses the previously open question of effectively operating a complex structure of multiple energy converters. By introducing a two-dimensional merit order principle, the study systematically prioritizes the use of energy converters based on their efficiency and role in balancing heat, electricity, and hydrogen demands. Visualized through a graphical representation, this approach offers an intuitive understanding of how different energy converters interact to meet demand states, elucidating why specific converters are employed under varying conditions. By providing valuable insights into cross-sectoral energy integration, this methodology serves as both a planning tool and educational resource. It highlights the optimal deployment of specific technologies, with applicability extending to other coupled energy systems, such as heating and cooling systems in diverse contexts. KW - Energy Dispatch Optimization KW - Operational Regimes KW - Sector Coupling KW - Energy System Visualization KW - Merit-Order Y1 - 2025 ER -